Entertaining Angels
Today we are
going to look at some of the ways angels are described in their interaction with
man in the new testament. The writer of Hebrews drops a reference to angels in
as a side note, in the middle of a list of do’s and don’ts.
As we read
this passage look for the 6 or 7 things he is saying about how we should live
and about the reference to angels.
Love of the brethren
Hospitality to strangers
Remember the Prisoners
Hold Marriage in honor
Don’t love money / be content
-I will never leave you/The Lord is my
helper
If we weren’t studying angels, we could
spend the morning on this passage, picking one another’s brains about how we
could be better at loving one another, showing hospitality etc. But today we
are looking at the “Angels” part of the passage.
Has
anyone here ever shown hospitality to someone, and later wondered if it could
have been an angel? Why would God send an angel to us in need of hospitality?
What good are good works? For us, for others, for
God’s kingdom?
The writer
of Hebrews talks about some areas where we should strive for holiness, and
mentions that angels have a part in helping us achieve what we need to be, but
just like the angels, the writer ultimately points us to the Lord (v6) – The Lord
is my helper.
God can use
angels to help us in ways such as developing our faith by helping someone else.
Let’s look
at another way that God uses angels. We get a substantial portion of what we
understand about death and heaven from a parable that Jesus told in Luke 16.
According
to this parable, what happened to Lazarus when he died?
What
does this say about Angels?
Do you
think they might be sitting around the hospital room or at the intersection of
an eminent car crash just waiting to transport a saint’s soul into God’s presence?
We have another hint that angels may be all
around us, unseen, in 1 Timothy 5:21. Paul is writing concerning elders and says:
Challenge
In looking
at all the verses in the Bible it is amazing how many times angels are
mentioned, and we just pass them by. But angels are important beings and their
existence, presence, and mission is highlighted all through scripture.
I wonder if
we might be overlooking them in the same way that we overlook other spiritual
things. It is easy to get involved in this world and miss the spiritual things
going on because we are focused on what we can see, touch, and smell.
I want to
challenge you to let angels serve as a reminder of the spiritual nature of
everything that God orchestrates and allows. Think of your workplace and
imagine two or three angels are hanging out there. They might be waiting to
help you by kicking something out of the way so you don’t trip, or figuring out
a way to put you into the middle of an opportunity to do a good work. They
might also be on standby to carry you into God’s presence. In any case, that
mental image can be a reminder that what is going on around you has a spiritual
context and impact.
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